An Unexpected Reunion
by Harliquinn
Summary: The Doctor thought his artificially generated daughter had died after taking a bullet meant for him. Imagine his surprise when he encounters her again when she's neck deep in trouble. Follows the fourth season (series in Great Britain) episode "The Doctor's Daughter." Warning: contains disciplinary spanking in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: The Doctor thought his artificially generated daughter had died after taking a bullet meant for him. Imagine his surprise when he encounters her again when she's neck deep in trouble. Follows the fourth season (series in Great Britain) episode "The Doctor's Daughter." Warning: contains disciplinary spanking.

A huge thank you to Gaben for her encouragement and advice on this story.

**AN UNEXPECTED REUNION**

"What!?" the Doctor demanded as the TARDIS suddenly veered right and began shaking violently. "What!?" he repeated his demand as he tried to get at least some idea where they were headed. He had a terrible feeling that it wasn't to the sunrise on Sedenfriar's Moon as they'd planned.

"What have you done now?" Donna Noble demanded as she entered the ship's main control chamber. She'd been rudely tossed out of bed only moments before and really wasn't in the mood to put up with any of the Doctor's shenanigans.

"I don't know. I had programed her for Sedenfriar's Moon. I'm told the sunrise there is awe inspiring." He grinning and shrugged. "Thought you might like to see it. You know, a bit of local color." The TARDIS jolted again, nearly throwing both its occupants to the floor. The Doctor pulled himself back to his feet and flipped a few switches. "We seem to have been pulled off course for some reason."

"That's just great," Donna said under her breath. "Probably a war involving his brother or something." She was thinking of the last time the TARDIS had acted on its own volition. After ending up in the middle of a war between humans and the Hath, they'd had to watch as a young woman was generated from a sample of the Doctor's genetic material and was subsequently killed when she stepped in front of a bullet meant for her "father." Donna honestly didn't know if the Doctor would be able to handle another emotional blow like that.

As quickly as the detour began, the TARDIS landed with a hard thud. Cautiously opening the door, the Doctor stepped out of his ship and into an alley. Donna followed quickly behind, pulling the door shut behind her. Tall stone and wood buildings surrounded them, and they could hear a mixture of cheering and angry shouts from somewhere ahead of them.

"Where are we?" Donna looked around, trying to gauge their location. For all she knew, they were back on Earth at some point in ancient history.

"I don't know," the Doctor said cautiously. He pulled out his sonic screw driver and held it in the air. It made its customary strange whirring sound before he lowered it and studied its readings. "We're not on Earth, that much I can tell you." He studied the readings for another moment as something pulled at his memory. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say we're on Mendalsun."

More shouts came sounded in the distance, this time sounding more angry than cheerful. He grinned and rubbed his hands together in delight. "We won't find out anything standing here, and it sounds like the party is over there. Allons-y," he said with a sweep of his hand toward the mouth of the alley.

"Oh, this is wonderful," the Doctor exclaimed coming to a sudden stop. Donna glared as she nearly slammed into his back. What they saw would not have been out of place in medieval Europe. People dressed in simple tunics and hose and plain dresses were gathered in a public square. There appeared to be some type of festival happening.

Someone passing by caught the Doctor's attention. "Bemsell!" he exclaimed and moved quickly forward. Donna followed slowly behind and watched as the man, at least she assumed it was a man, turned in the Doctor's direction. The man was tall and slender, with a lion's mane of red hair. While his skin was smooth with a slight greenish tint, his facial features had a slightly reptilian cast.

Bemsell turned at the sound of his name and made an effort to hide his annoyance at the interruption. The last thing he needed was another humanoid interfering with the Prince's coming of age ceremony. Sighing heavily, he asked, "may I help you, sir?"

The Doctor was momentarily taken aback at the fact that Bemsell did not recognize him. Then he remembered it had literally been several lifetimes since he'd last set foot on the planet of Mendalsun. "It's me," he said, "the Doctor." He grinned and spread his arms wide.

"Doctor?" Bemsell repeated, confused.

"Yes, it's me," the Doctor responded. "Did you ever get that store clerk to go to dinner with you? The last time I saw you, she still giving you the cold shoulder."

Bemsell grinned as he rushed forward. "My friend, it is you!" He clasped the Doctor's extended hand and pulled the smaller man in for a warm hug. "You must have regenerated since you were last here."

"More than once." The Doctor stepped back and motioned for Donna to come forward. "This is my friend, Donna Noble."

Donna stepped forward and was drawn into a hug as well. When she stepped back, she asked the first thing that came to her mind. "Well, did you?"

"Did I what?" Bemsell asked, confused.

"Get the store clerk to go out with you?"

Bemsell grinned. "I did. We're married now and have a daughter." He turned to the Doctor. "You should stop by while you are here. She would love to see you."

"Maybe," the Doctor responded non-committedly. An angry shout rose from the crowd, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand. "What's going on?"

Bemsell sighed again and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "It is Prince Hiem's two hundred and second birthday."

"Two hundred and second?" Donna interrupted. "That supposed to mean something?" She shrugged her shoulders when the Doctor glared at her.

"He is undergoing the test of succession," Bemsell continued, aiming his own glare in Donna's direction.

"The test of succession?" the Doctor asked. "Oh, wait," he said as he tapped his index finger on his lips in thought. "Isn't that when it's determined whether or not he's fit to success his father to the crown?"

"Very good, my friend. You remember your history lessons." Bemsell turned to look at the crowd when another roar sounded. "Except there is a young woman who interrupted the ceremony, claiming we were attempting to kill the Prince. I was on my way to help."

The back of the Doctor's neck was beginning to itch. He had a bad feeling that this was why the TARDIS had diverted its path. "Mind if we come along?"

Bemsell thought for a moment. "Please, be my guest."

The Doctor and Donna followed Bemsell to the platform set in the middle of the town square. In the middle of the platform was a wooden structure from which a dark-skinned and haired Mendalsunian male was suspended from a set of hooks. The hooks punctured the flesh of his bare, muscular chest, and bore all of his weight. A rhythmic drum and pipe sounded in the background.

"What kind of test is that?" Donna demanded the moment she spotted him. "I agree with whoever that young woman is. It looks like you are trying to kill him."

"Donna," the Doctor began, his voice matching the hard expression on his face. "Do not . . ." His words trailed off the moment he had his first view of the young woman in question. She was standing in front of the wooden structure, holding a large rifle training on two guards. A number of other guards stood nearby, their own weapons trained on her.

"Doctor, do you know her?" Bemsell asked as he followed his friend's line of sight. The Doctor's reaction had surprised him.

"No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor chanted, "this isn't possible. She's dead." He turned to Donna. "We both saw her die."

"Doctor?" Bemsell placed his hand on the shorter man's shoulder. He watched as the Doctor visibly pulled himself together and refocused his attention on the matter at hand.

"Yes, Bemsell, I know her." The Doctor paused and looked back at the young woman, confirming that it was, in fact, Jenny. "She is my daughter." He strode forward, quickly mounting the steps to the platform, and moving to stand in front of Jenny. Grabbing the rifle from her hands, he simply stated, "no guns."

"Hello, Dad," Jenny smiled in greeting.

TBC

Note: The test of succession referenced in this chapter is based on the Sun Ceremony practiced by Native Americans, primarily in the Great Plains.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, set an alert or favorite. I'm glad to know you're enjoying it.

Again, a big thank you to Gaben for beta reading this chapter and making suggestions that definitely made it better.

**CHAPTER 2**

Donna watched as the Doctor paced the small audience chamber where they were awaiting an appearance by King Swemin. The guard who had escorted them to the audience chamber had offered to find another place for Donna to wait, but she wasn't about to miss the show. Ever since learning he'd been a father, she had wondered what kind of parent the Doctor could have been. Now, she supposed, she was going to find out.

The Doctor was pacing the room, muttering to himself as though he were trying to work out some sort of impossible problem. Suddenly he stopped pacing, and turned to face Jenny. She still wore the black leather pants and dark olive t-shirt she'd worn when she stepped out of the replicator. Her pale blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. In fact, she looked exactly as she had when she'd died in his arms from a bullet meant for him. That fact only added to the anger burning in the Doctor's eyes.

As he approached, Jenny straightened from where she had been leaning against the far wall and came to attention. Stepping in close, the Doctor invaded her personal space and pointed his finger in her face. "Don't you ever," he said, emphasizing the last word, "step in front of me like that again. Is that understood?"

Jenny swallowed and resisted the urge to take a step back and regain some of her personal space. She nodded and looked away from her father's steady gaze. She might have the appearance of an adult, but in actuality she had only been alive a short time. During that short time, she had never really been in trouble. There had been a few stern words from her father, and General Cobb,who had her locked up because she came from pacifist stock. But, she was beginning to realize just how serious the situation really was.

"I didn't hear you," her father stated, tilting his head in her direction as though trying to hear something. "What did you say?"

"Yes."

"The correct answer is 'yes, sir.'"

"Yes, sir," Jenny dutifully repeated as she met her father's gaze.

"Now that that's settled, I have a question," Donna stated as she came to stand beside father and daughter. The Doctor had had his say, and now she wanted an answer to the question that was burning in her mind. "How are you even here?" she asked, gesturing to the room in general. "We all saw you die in your father's arms."

Jenny thought for a moment as a puzzled expression crossed her face. "I don't know. One minute you were holding me after I was shot," she said to her father. "The next thing I remember is waking up on a table in the theater where General Cobb had set up camp. Cline and one of the Hath were standing over me."

The Doctor took a step back and scrubbed his hands through his hair, causing it to stand up in spiky tufts. Children on Gallifrey grew up knowing about a time lord's regenerative abilities. Jenny did not have that advantage.

"Time lords are born with the ability to heal themselves. If the damage is too extensive, we regenerate into a new body – new body, new personality, same memories," he explained. He sighed heavily before continuing, "you must have been close enough to your progenation that your body healed itself without regenerating."

Both Jenny and Donna stared at the Doctor for a moment. Donna finally broke the silent. "You mean you haven't always looked like that?" she asked gesturing in his direction.

"No, he hasn't" said a deep voice from the doorway. "In fact, he looks quite different than when I last saw him."

The occupants of the room turned to see a tall Mendalsunian standing just inside the entrance to the room. His mane of hair was snowy white, and his dark face was deeply lined. He wore what appeared to be soft leather breeches, tied at the calves with crisscross garters, and an open leather vest, which revealed his muscular chest.

The Doctor immediately dropped to kneel on one knee. Reaching up, he yanked Jenny and Donna down to kneel beside him. "Your Majesty."

"Please arise, my friend. There is no formality between us." King Swemin watched as the Doctor and the two women stood. He moved to pull the smaller man into a hug. "It has been too long, my friend."

"Yes, it has," the Doctor stated as he stepped back. "The last time I was here you were undergoing your own rite of succession ritual. So, Prince Heim?"

"My nephew. My wife, Nagir, and I were blessed with four daughters, but no sons," the king responded before grinning. "They are all married with good husbands and have made me a grandfather several times over."

"Well, how about that – you, a grandfather." The Doctor grinned. "That would be something to see."

"Who are these lovely young women?" Donna preened at the king's description, but Jenny felt uncomfortable. She had a bad feeling that this was the man who was going to determine her fate.

"This is my friend, Donna, and my daughter, Jenny."

"Ah, so this is the young woman who has caused such a stir," King Swemin stated as he moved to study Jenny, who barely resisted the urge to squirm under the scrutiny. "I'm surprised a child of yours would create such trouble," he said to the Doctor, not taking his eyes from Jenny. "Not after the way you kept after me and your granddaughter."

"Now just a minute," Donna said stepping forward, intending to defend the young woman. She stopped, confused at the Doctor's quick hiss of warning.

"Normally, you would be right, Your Majesty. But, these are far from normal circumstances." The Doctor went on to explain his and Donna's visit to Messaline, Jenny's emergence from the progenation machine, and what he had believed had been her subsequent death.

"Shall I assume that the space craft found in the desert north of town belongs to you, young lady?" King Swemin asked, as he crossed his arms over his chest. He had slipped effortlessly from friendship to angry father. Jenny might not be his child, but to his mind, a father was always a father – regardless of whether the child was his or someone else's.

Jenny was unsure how to answer and glanced at the Doctor. At his nod, she turned back to the sovereign and stated, "yes, sir, Your Majesty, it is mine."

"Shall I also assume that it does not actually belong to you?"

"Since I had planets to save, civilizations to rescue, and creatures to defeat, not to mention an awful lot of running to do, I decided to borrow a space ship and get started." Jenny met her father's gaze and grinned. At his hard glare, she quickly dropped her gaze and managed to look sheepish.

The Doctor had to fight the urge to grin in response. Yes, she was definitely his daughter. After all, he had "borrowed" the TARDIS all those many years before. Well, if the truth were to be told, he'd stolen it. Still, he couldn't reveal to Jenny just how amusing he found that tidbit of information.

"I suppose I am going to have to contact Messaline and let them know where they can find their missing ship," The king said almost to himself, as he moved to sit on the wooden throne situated in the back of the room, signaling that the matter was to turn serious. "The question now becomes, young lady, what is to be done about you?"

The Doctor took Jenny by the arm and guided her to stand in front of King Swemin. Donna stood a few paces behind. She had been surprised at the easy going manner of the Mendalsunian king. It wasn't exactly how she had expected a monarch to behave. Now, however, she was beginning to be concerned at his sudden change in demeanor.

"By all rights, I should turn you over to the judicial system. You would be incarcerated until such time you were given a fair trial. If convicted, you would be sent to the forced labor camp to serve out your sentence." King Swemin paused when he heard Donna's snort of disbelief. "Yes, young woman," he said in her direction, "it would be a fair trial. She would be given an impartial jury and the opportunity to present her defense." Turning his attention back to Jenny, he continued, "I am very aware of the Gallifreyan method for dealing with disobedient children, having spent time there in my youth. I also know the kind of man your father is."

The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement of the king's unspoken confidence that the Doctor would see that Jenny thoroughly understood the error of her ways.

"However, these are far from normal circumstances. Because of that, I am turning you over to your father for discipline." He rose and moved to stand in front of Jenny. He grasped her chin in his large hand and tilted her head back so that their eyes met. "I hope you learn from this experience, Jenny. The next time you get into trouble, you may not get off so easily. Although, when he's finished with you, you may not think I've been so lenient." The king released Jenny's chin and took a step back and nodded in the Doctor's direction. "Doctor."

"Your Majesty," the Doctor returned the king's wordless farewell. "But, before we go, I believe Jenny owes you an apology." He took her arm and pulled her forward to standing in front of him.

"No, I won't apologize, and I don't understand why I'm to be punished for doing what I thought was right. What kind of people are you, anyway. That rite of succession ceremony of your is brutal."

"Jenny," the Doctor said in warning. His voice was harder that she had ever heard it, but she continued on.

"I thought I was saving his life. What kind of people are you that makes someone go through something like that?"

The Doctor reached forward and grasped her arm. He pulled her back until she rested against his check. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "You will stop this immediately and apologize to King Swemin or you will not like the consequences." Jenny wrenched her arm from her father's grasp and turned to meet his eyes. What she saw there scared her.

When she turned back to look at King Swemin, the expression on his face was nearly as scary as her father's. She swallowed hard. "I apologize." She hoped it sounded more sincere than she felt.

King Swemin had to fight to keep his features stern rather than smirk. "Doctor, you've got your work cut out for you with this one. Young lady," he said, turning his attention to Jenny, "if I weren't positive your father will thoroughly see to your discipline, I would add to it for your disrespect."

Both men nodded their farewells. The Doctor, along with Jenny and Donna, watched as the king turned and walked from the room.

"What did he mean he was turning Jenny over to you for discipline? What kind of discipline?" Donna demanded. Jenny wanted to ask the same question, but her emerging sense of self-preservation warned her to keep quiet.

"Not now, Donna. We'll discuss it back on the TARDIS." He took Jenny by the arm. "Let's go."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: To all the readers who asked whether I'd abandoned this story: sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter. Real life got busy, and I had trouble getting this chapter written just the way I wanted it. I've written, deleted, and re-written parts of it more times than I can count.

This chapter contains disciplinary spanking. If this offends you, I suggest you not read this chapter. While I encourage and welcome comments and reviews, even those which express disagreement with this story, flames and other insulting or abusive reviews will be deleted and reported to the administrator of this site as I deem appropriate.

As always, a big thank you to Gabe for betaing this story and giving great suggestions that only made it better.

**CHAPTER 3**

The Doctor sighed heavily as he stepped into the TARDIS. He closed the door and turned back to stare into the empty control room. Exhausted, he scrubbed his hands over his face and up through his hair before walking further into the room.

He had spent the previous hour and a half talking to the Prince's guards and witnesses to get a better picture of what had happened with Jenny, and he didn't like what he had heard. Each and every one of them had told the same story – Jenny had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She'd stormed the platform, fired a shot from her rifle into the air and demanded the Prince be released. When no one had moved to free the Prince, she had fired another shot and turned the rifle on the guards who were standing nearby. After Jenny again demanded the Prince's release, one of the guards had stepped forward to attempt to explain the situation to her. She had refused to listen, and a stalemate had arisen. It was only a short time later that the Doctor and Donna had shown up to put an end to it. One guard had confided to him that he was on the verge of ending the situation by shooting Jenny. The thought of that happening again sent a chill down the Doctor's spine.

The Doctor moved to the control console and examined a few of the gauges. He knew he was delaying the inevitable. Jenny had believed she was acting in the right; saving someone she thought was in danger. But, her actions, even though well intended, could not go unpunished. He was going to have to find a way to explain that to her in a way she could completely understand.

Sighing again in resignation as to what had to be done; he made his way to the storage area under the center console. He was sure he would find what he needed in one of the storage cabinets there.

A few moments later he climbed back to the control console and found Donna waiting for him. She was leaning against the control console with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a serious expression on her face. "I took her to the wardrobe for a change of clothes, like you asked. Although, I don't know what was wrong with what she was wearing," Donna said in greeting.

"Fine," the Doctor replied, ignoring the question in Donna's statement. He had a very good reason, at least in his mind, for wanting her clad in something other than leather pants. "Where is she?"

"She's in the third bedroom on the right. Exactly what did King Swemin mean when he said you'd see to Jenny's discipline?" Donna demanded, coming to stand in front of him, effectively blocking his path.

"That is between me and Jenny and is no concern of yours." He tried to sidestep around his companion.

"I'm making it my concern," she continued, blocking his move with one of her own. "Someone has to stand up for her."

"And you've decided that someone is you?" he quipped.

"Yes, now answer my question, Doctor, and just what are you intending to do with that?" she asked, indicating the ping pong paddle he held in his hand.

The Doctor glanced down at the object he held before meeting Donna's gaze. "I intend to spank her."

Donna opened and closed her mouth, not quite able to put her thoughts to words. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. "Spank her? You can't do that, it's barbaric. Surely the almighty time lords have evolved past that."

"Barbaric," the Doctor gave a short laugh, as he stepped around Donna. This time, she was too surprised to stop him. "The people of Gallifrey used to think the same way," he said turning back to face her. "But our children became unmanageable. Not so dissimilar to children on Earth right now, if you ask me. After a while, the old forms of punishment, including spanking, were reinstated."

"It's still barbaric, and I won't let you do it."

The Doctor moved to invade Donna's personal space. "You really don't want to push me on this Donna, or Jenny won't be the only one spanked tonight."

"You wouldn't dare," Donna replied indignantly.

The look he gave her clearly indicated that he most certainly would dare if pushed too far. "I would indeed dare, just like your barbaric grandfather did when you were seven years old and took off to explore Africa, down by Mc Cory's swollen creek bed."

"How did you know about..."

The doctor smirked and this time when he stepped around Donna she made no move to stop him.

A few minutes later, the Doctor stood in front of the door to the bedroom Donna had assigned to Jenny. He briefly wondered if he had even been in that particular room before. Admonishing himself that he needed to keep his mind on more important matters than the myriad number of bedrooms offered by the TARDIS and whether he'd been inside them, he looked at the paddle in his hand and took a determined breath. Knocking once, he pushed open the door and entered the room.

Jenny stood as he entered the room. The Doctor immediately noticed she had traded her olive t-shirt and black leather pants for a light blue zippered hoodie that he'd last seen on Rose Tyler and dark colored jeans that had previously belonged to Martha Jones. He had hoped she would have chosen thin cotton pants. But, he supposed, denim was better than leather for what he had in mind. They were going to have to go somewhere they could buy Jenny clothes of her own, he thought.

"Father?" she asked uncertainly. She had been sitting in that room for what seemed like forever trying to figure out how she had gotten into this situation. She didn't understand why everyone around her thought what she had done was so wrong. Donna hadn't been much help either, saying only that her dad would be able to explain it to her.

"Sit down," the Doctor told her has he moved into the room and closed the door. He had debated how to handle this confrontation and had decided to get directly to the point. Watching as Jenny moved to sit on the bed, he pulled a chair from the nearby sitting area and placed it in front on her. Sitting down, he sprawled out. His long legs were stretched out and his arms were crossed over his chest. The ping pong paddle he'd carried into the room was resting on his thighs. "Just so you know, I talked to witnesses who told me what happened. Now I want to hear your side of the story."

Jenny studied her father for a moment before responding. "You've already made up your mind about punishing me for it, so why don't we just get it over with?"

"We could do that, but that's not the point."

"Then what is the point, father?"

"The point," he said as he straightened in his chair, "is so that you understand fully what you have done so you will not repeat the offence. As to your waking up and stealing the shuttle on Messaline, I'm not going to punish you for that, but we will be having a discussion about it later. So, at the risk of repeating myself, tell me what you did and why you did it. Start with your arrival here." He paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in. "Now." The hard tone of authority in his voice caused Jenny to flinch.

Jenny stood and assumed an "at attention" posture. The military training that had been imbedded in her mind during her progenation wouldn't let her stay seated while giving a report. The Doctor nodded when she glanced at him, and she wasn't sure if the gesture was approval of her stance or encouragement to continue.

She took a deep breath and said, "I don't know why I chose Mendalsun. It didn't even show up on the shuttle's navigation system. I landed the shuttle in the desert, grabbed the rifle and set out to explore. I came across the town and saw the prince hanging from that scaffold. I remembered what Donna said about saving worlds, rescuing civilizations, and defeating creatures." She broke her military posture and sighed heavily. "It looked like they were trying to kill him, and I thought I could be like you and stop it."

The Doctor stood, turned and laid the ping pong paddle in the seat he'd just vacated, and moved to stand in front of Jenny. He had heard what he'd wanted to find out – Jenny's reasons for acting as she had. "So you forced your way onto the platform, fired your rifle, and held everyone at gun point while demanding that Prince Heim be released. Does that sum it up?" 

"Yes, sir," Jenny responded. It sounded so bad when he said it like that, and she was suddenly worried about just what her father intended to do.

"You acted without thinking your actions through." The Doctor paused and rubbed his hands over his face and up through his hair in frustration. He needed to stop doing that, he thought to himself, or he was going to wind up bald. His frustration stemmed from the fact that he really did not want to begin his relationship with his daughter in such a way. Sighing heavily, he turned back to Jenny. "You stormed the platform without first finding out want was happening. By doing that you placed yourself and everyone there in danger. If you had stopped to ask, you would have learned Prince Heim was undergoing the rite of succession ritual. You may not agree with a people's cultural actions, but you cannot interfere." He stepped closer, invading Jenny's personal space. "You also came very close to being shot again, and this time you could have stayed dead. I don't know if it was your time lord DNA or the terraforming agent that caused your regeneration, but I'll be dammed before I allow you to put either theory to the test."

Tears welled up in Jenny's eyes. The Doctor had to fight the urge to gather her in his arms for a comforting hug. The time to act as the comforting father would come later. Now, it was time to act as the stern disciplinarian. "Do you understand now why you are going to be punished?"

"Yes, sir."

Jenny swallowed hard as her father stepped back and picked up the ping pong paddle. He grasped her arm and pulled her with him to the bed. Sitting down, he upended Jenny over his lap. "The spanking you are about to receive isn't only intended to punish you for your actions, but it will serve as a reminder to think before you act." She cried out in surprise when he brought the paddle down on her backside. The sting from the swat had barely registered before the paddle fell again.

"Please stop. I promise I won't do anything like that again," Jenny begged after the sixth swat fell. She reached back and tried to protect her backside from further swats.

The Doctor paused. "Move your hand." When she didn't comply, he grasped her wrist and held it at the small of her back as he continued. "You do not place yourself in danger," he said before bringing the paddle into contact with her already tender backside half a dozen times. He quickly quashed the idea that he was being a bit hypocritical, given how often he placed himself and those traveling with him, not to mention whole planets, in danger. Still, it was one thing for him to do it, with his knowledge and experience, and quite another for Jenny to do it, with her lack thereof. "You do not hold guns on people." The paddle again made contact with her sit spots, causing her to cry out with each swat. "And you do not act without first learning everything you can about the situation." After bringing the paddle down a final few times, he tossed it onto the bed.

He rubbed Jenny's back until her ragged breathing had eased and she was no longer sobbing. Praying to whatever deity might be listening that he'd never have to do that again, the Doctor helped Jenny stand. Once she was steady on her feet he arose too and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, father," Jenny said into his chest.

"I know you are, Jenny," the Doctor said into her hair. "You have been punished for your actions, and now everything is forgiven. We start on a clean slate." He grasped her arms and pushed her away from his chest so that he could look down into her eyes. "I love you. You know that, don't you." He was a little surprised to realize that he wasn't just saying the words to comfort his daughter. Rather, he really did care for her.

When Jenny nodded and swiped at the tears that were coursing down her cheeks, he smiled. "I really do, you know. "I did not enjoy doing that and hope I never have to do it again. But, I will if I have to. Jenny, part of my job as your father is to teach you to how to live and get along in this great universe. I'm looking forward to sharing all of that with you. There are great adventurers to be had, but not at the threat to sentient beings or yourself. As time lord and your father,my role is to teach you self discipline and to punish you when necessary."

"I really am sorry, Dad." She unconsciously switched to the less formal name as she stepped out of his arms. "I will try to do better."

"I know you will, Jenny," the Doctor replied as he stepped to the bed and picked up the paddle. He intended to return it to the storage cabinet in hopes that it wouldn't be needed again. "By the way," he said turning back to face her, "you will need to pay another visit to the wardrobe to get something a bit more formal. I'll send Donna to help you. We've been invited to attend the post ceremonial banquet as King Swemin's guests."

TBC


End file.
